Thank You
by Somniums
Summary: The Passing left a lot of questions unanswered, this story is my creation of how things could have played out. First story in a long time, please rate and review. Angst.
1. Chapter 1

( This fanfiction is my first fanfiction in a very, very long time and is based off of the unanswered questions from "The Passing" in Left 4 Dead. Please review and comment. )

_Dedicated to Bill_

**"Thank You"**

The Passing

Chapter 1

The sky over Rayford was solemn, coated in the gray depression of storm clouds. Very rarely did the warming embrace of the sun pierce through a world that was now filled with nothing but animosity, where sentience and love was soon finding its place in the records of extinction. The townhouses, stores, community buildings and more were all coated in the quiet glaze of temporary quiet, where now there was only silence with random violent outbursts of activity to disturb an otherwise dead world. Tortured moans rang in chorus throughout the streets, the sound of burning vehicles crackled in the teasing winds and from time to time the sound of a building collapsing in the distance would quake through momentarily.

On the city limits, four silhouettes could be seen trudging quietly through a suburban neighborhood, keeping close to each other and in the shade of abandoned infrastructure. A grizzled, aged man in olive military attire lead the three behind him, in his seasoned and blood caked hands rest an M16 rifle pointed ever slightly forwards, a keen blue eye gazing down their sights as only the sound of an occasional drag on the crumpled cigarette that rest between his bearded lips whispered from him. A man followed behind, clad in leather and scarred with tattoos and other body art. His expression was aggressive, as if he cursed the scenario he found himself in, feeding anger over fear unlike the others. A woman followed behind, petite and young, her soft face desecrated with dirt and ash like her once vibrant clothing that clung raggedly to her tiny physique. In the back was a man who was dressed in attire common to the time before everything was washed over in madness, a simple red tie fluttered against his chest, tattered and split in the fibers of the cloth as it bounced against a sullied white button up shirt, wide eyes constantly looking nervously at every snaking shadow and spying window, but mostly over his own shoulder to the emptiness they would pass through during their silent march. As far as the four seemingly unaltered companions knew, they were the last warm humans they would ever come in contact with again.

Approaching the end of a dreary alleyway, the man in front, Bill was his name, would stop and bring up his right hand in a gesture to stop. The three behind him stilled themselves and looked over one another's shoulders to the front, as Bill peered out into the neighborhood before them. The sounds of agony of pain resonated from once breathing homes, their shattered windows laying in the brown yards before them. There were swaying, crouching, lying, sitting, moaning, crying, screaming humanoid forms in the culdesac before them, minding their own ruptured existence. While these pitiful husks of humans now seemed to be crippled with disease, they harbored rabid aggression to those who had seemingly been immune to the pandemic. Bill looked over his shoulders to the others, that hand that had been used to stop the group now flexed a single finger up that rest against his lips, gesturing for them to be quiet, an arbitrary request, none of them dared make a sound louder than that of their own muffled heartbeat, and if they could quiet that, they would as well.

Bill, leading the others, who were named Francis, Zoey, and Louis respectively in order from front to back, stepped around the corner of the alley and out into the sidewalk surrounding the culdesac of homes. The scattered infected that dotted the road didn't seem to notice them, though occasionally one would begin to behave more erratically than normal, screaming and throwing themselves about, clawing at the ground, smashing their fists and head against buildings and sometimes even turning violent towards other infected. One did just that, a once middle aged man in a blood splattered sweater that had lost the flourishing color of health in his skin that was now just another walking corpse, a large laceration across his neck that had spilled onto his chest and clothing a while back, the blood now darkened and crusted. The infected went into a fury, Bill reflexively swinging up his rifle and aiming it down the fifty yard distance to the infected throwing a tantrum, the others all bringing up their weapons as well, Francis pulling a small pump operated shotgun up, Zoey a pair of small caliber pistols, and Louis nervously gripped around a small submachine gun, still holding it downwards as they waited to see what would transpire before throwing their presence into the light. The infected ran in a rage over to an infected woman who had been sitting, sulking, and vomiting not twenty feet away from him as he threw himself onto her. A shriek wringing out from the suffering woman as the rabid man straddled her, throwing his clenched fists down onto her all ready broken and mangled face with hateful brutality, screaming incoherent anger into the air as he did so. The other infected paid no attention, and the survivors continued on as an act of murder played out, something that would have once been stopped for its heinous blemish against society.

The group was heading for the highway that lead out of the suburbs and further into Rayford, where a bridge lead across a large river and to what they could only hope was closer to salvation. They had trekked so far all ready, the animosity of the infection had bared its teeth and bit at them more than a handful of times all ready yet they had managed to continue onwards in generally good health. Sometimes they couldn't remember why they were always walking now, as they only came across more towns and cities bathed in the pestilence. Rumors and hopeful notes scribed on walls, buildings, roads, practically everywhere by survivors before them mentioned safety in all directions and places, yet they were always the same when they came to them. The more time passed, the less they began to see the notes written by sane hands, less people to write them they guessed. They passed into another alleyway, this one would lead through a small shanty area that would pour out next to the highway. They could have taken the road straight to it, but the infected were a pox that littered all once major areas of commute. The first words that had been spilled all day came from Louis in a questioning whisper, "How far do you think the highway is?" It was soon cut out by a responding "Shh!" From Bill, how then returned to creeping forwards with the others. Zoey looked back to give Louis a pitying glance, she too wished they could talk more but they were no where safe and every noise they made was a potential noose around their necks. Louis became quiet once more, and the group pushed forwards until a horrific screech scattered the crows that rest atop the dilapidated building, waiting to feast on the abundance of death. All of them gazed worryingly in every direction, Bill seemingly the most resolute as he aimed his rifle towards a rotting wooden fence to their right, slowly stalking forwards to push his eye against a small hole in the fence, though just as the bearded senior gazed through he was suddenly taken startled as he began to jump back, gun being thrust back upwards before the fence shattered into countless splinters, planks and old nails being thrown everywhere as Bill cried out, and the familiar, depressing sound of gunfire rang out in the chaos.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The dust of the destruction settled, the sounds of gunfire ceased for now, and the raspy coughing of the old war veteran was heard as he was crouched over, resting the butt of his rifle against the concrete beneath them and using it to steady himself as he wiped his face of a fresh splatter of darkened, diseased blood. Besides Bill lay a shadily clothed individual, duct tape wrapped around their arms arms and legs, holding the loose urban clothing to their mutated limbs tightly. Some times the infected underwent grotesque mutations, resulting in even more frightening abominations that were once functioning humans in a civilized world. Zoey rushed over to Bill's side, leaning down with him, "Are you all right?" She asked, no longer whispering. Bill coughed once more, spitting out some of the vile blood that had come from the large gunshot wound that now split through the hooded infected's neck. Bill pulled up his undershirt and wiped his face, a pink stain remaining against his wrinkled face for now as Louis was turned from the group, pointing back down the alley as was Francis, weapons pulled up. Bill brought himself to his feet, but not before picking up the lightly smoking half cigarette that had fallen from his mouth. The only real injury he had sustained was on his exterior olive jacket, four jagged scars ripped side by side down the right breast pocket and exposed his stained undershirt slightly. "We have to go." Zoey said in a caring, yet anxious tone. Nothing more was said, a howl came from the culdesac as running bodies poured into the alleyway in a frothing rage, spitting, scowling and screaming came those of the infected just yards away from the survivors as they began running through the shanty alleyway. The survivors took off in a desperate sprint, but not before getting off a few shots of their respective weapons while waiting for Bill to fully get his wind back. The group curved in and about the alley's many twists and turns, junk from rusted antique vehicles lay in overgrown back yards, torn down club houses and other ruins for them to maneuver around. The infected were closing in, Louis in the back was panting and sweating, his eyes wide with fear as he would look over his shoulder occasionally to the rabid horde that clawed at the air between them.

"In here!" Bill shouted out, motioning to the open back door of a two story home as the group redirected themselves towards it, leaping over discarded children's toys, bicycles, and playground equipment before running up the small flight of steps, Francis and Bill slamming a heavy aluminum door in the path of the rampaging infected, who not soon after the door was shut and pressed against with the weight of the desperate survivors, broke against the house like an angry wave. Zoey fell forwards, knocked away from the door in the initial slamming from the horde as she quickly got up and assisted in the others holding it back, feeling hopeless. Francis remained determined, mouthing out curses at everything he felt responsible while Bill surveyed the house, shoulder and palm pressed into the now denting door. Windows shattered and bodies began to crawl in, Louis sprayed an intruding infected with his submachine gun, the body soon shredded and spilling blood amongst the old hardwood floor of the house. "What do we do?!" Louis cried, "They're getting in!" Zoey's face became ghostly white, her eyes closed and she mumbled out silent prayers laced with fearful gulping. Suddenly Bill sprang back from his planning and shouted over the roar of the infected, "Hurry, follow me!" He said as he left the door, Zoey eager to get away from it as was Louis as Francis was the last one with his back up against it, soon backing up and lifting his shotgun, firing a spray out the window into the crowd before pumping a new shell into the barrel and following the fleeing group. The door didn't hold long, and soon the hinges came bursting free as the door flattened against the ground and infected poured in not far behind the survivors who had fled up a flight of stairs in the dreary home. Bill was the first to reach the second floor, the others right behind him. An infected woman stood in the hallway before them, startled by their intrusion though before she could break into the expected rage that all infected seemed to when confronted by the healthy, Bill brought up and pulled the trigger of his rifle, a sickening slush heard as the infected's chest gushed with its new wounds and her body now lifeless. The survivors, lead by the one who seemed the most calm, now found themselves in the master bedroom of the house, behind them was a wooden framed window overlooking the alley between the house and a neighboring, one story home. "Jump!" Bill demanded, Louis and Zoey taking on a confused expression to couple with their horror as Bill lept through the window, head curled in and back pointed out towards the glass that shattered easily enough, the old man now sailing through the air as he rolled against the fortunately stable and flat roof of the neighboring house. Francis wasn't far behind, and the sound of the horde coming up the steps wasn't either. A large snapping of wood was heard, the infected had broken the staircase with their combined weight but still many had made it to the top as Zoey jumped out behind Francis, who had turned upon landing to help the other two in the case of a slip. She made it well enough, falling forwards onto her knees with a hissing whimper of pain as Louis steadied himself and lept out lastly, landing on his feet with Francis pulling him quickly from the edge.

"Where to now!?" Louis and Zoey asked hastily, winded, and in their differing tones as Bill was hunkered over, hands against his bent knees as he caught his breath. "I haven't thought that far ahead yet." He said grimly, looking up from the roof of the house to survey their surroundings. Zoey pulled up her pant legs to examine the minor abrasion on both of her shaking knees before rolling it back down. Infected soon appeared in the broken window frame, spotting the survivors as they tossed themselves mindlessly from it, all of them in their frenzy toppling into the alley way between the two buildings, and most of them dying in sickening crunches as they landed on their necks and backs, a pile of bodies beginning to form. Louis's terror filled face became relieved at the unexpected mass display of clumsiness, as did the others in their own ways. "Let's take a breather, and let things quiet down." Francis suggested as Bill nodded quietly, hefting his rifle back up into his hands as he sat down, as did the others. Soon the sun, unseen as it was, began to set and where once the streets would have been lit by the replying light of street posts, there came only the buzzing of damaged electronics and the flickering of wires as the only thing that lit the world around them were the fires that littered the town. Things had become docile once more, the four survivors seemingly forgotten about by their aggressors as they enjoyed what little time they were given to rest. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Wake up." Came Louis' voice, the cold morning air washing over Zoey's face as she was startled by the fact that had been asleep, having just remembered running from the horde of infected before leaping onto the roof where she must have passed out from exhaustion. The sound of a fire nearby was crackling, she looked over, laying on her back and now sitting up. Bill and Francis were standing across from each other near a burning pile of refuse, talking. Zoey looked back to Louis, "Where are we?" Louis looked around, "We're on the highway, heading into Rayford." Zoey looked confused, "How did I get here?" Louis motioned with a cant of his head over to the two others, "Bill carried you, you fell asleep and were sleeping like a rock." He laughed, slapping his knee suddenly with laughter and happiness, "We tried for a whole ten minutes to wake you up girl! I was beginning to think you were dead!" Louis chuckled while Francis and Bill noted that Zoey was awake before returning to their conversation. Zoey looked down at her lap, her hands clenching against her thighs as she sighed. She felt the sting of her wounds and exhausted muscles, but it didn't bother her, she was used to it after all this. "What's wrong Zoey?" Louis asked sincerely, Zoey wiped some mist from her right eye, "I don't want to slow you guys down." Louis seemed taken back, "Slow us down? Ha! I can't remember how many times you've saved my ass out there, you ain't holding no one back!" He said cheerily and comfortingly, patting Zoey on the back playfully before standing up. Zoey smiled and contemplated a bit longer before the three came over to her, "We're moving on." Said Bill.

The highway had was a time of peace, going in between two stretches of farmland and not an infected in sight. Everyone but Bill seemed at ease for the moment, talking and making jokes as he only stared ahead, rifle at the ready. Louis and Francis started joking around, Francis explaining why he hates crops, and Zoey in the back just smiling at the blessed moment they'd been given away from the danger. In the distance was an orange glow surrounding the silhouette of Rayford, fires atop some of the taller buildings acting like torches to guide them in the early morning twilight. They had about three more miles of walking in a straight line down the road till they would reach the main interior of Rayford. They passed wrecked cars and trucks, some tipped over, some smashed into each other, all of them containing the depressed remains of blood on the windshield where their drivers met their ends when all hell broke loose. Zoey looked them over, the others looked ahead, she still hadn't gotten used to taking note of the sadder side of things when everything was quiet. She soon stepped ahead, behind Bill as she tapped on his shoulder, "Bill?" She asked respectively, "Have you... gotten any sleep?" She looked to the other two to see if they looked as tired as Bill. Francis and Louis were joking around, seemingly lively while the bags under Bill's eyes were darker than usual. "Everything seems fine, perhaps we can stop and you can sleep till daylight?" Zoey suggested, concerned. "I'm fine, I'd rather go at dark when they can't see us as well when we're all out in the open like this." Bill said gruffly, Zoey shut up and looked down, he made sense, like always. She fell back behind Francis and Louis, keeping to herself for the next mile of the walk. The dreary clouds overhead were beginning to illuminate and lighten, the sun was rising just beyond Rayford in the morning mist, casting a golden glow on an otherwise ruined city. The last mile of the walk till they reached the town proper, the group was gracious for the luck they had experienced on the highway with absolutely no infected encountered. Though soon the broken windows and boarded shops of Rayford came into view, a toppled semi-truck barred the main road in metal and fire and in the distance the old citizens of Rayford could be seen shambling about.

"On your toes." Bill whispered, everyone all ready was, it was routine by this point. Their olive draped leader lead them into a nearby apartment complex that hugged several neighboring buildings, hoping to find a higher ground to pass over the main street and get a general idea where the bridge was that they were looking for. They entered the building, careful as they stepped over the crunching glass underfoot as they began to ascend the spiral staircase. Bill halted them, looking down over the railing as the sound of glass crunching continued in the apartment's entryway, an infected had wandered in aimlessly, coughing and hurling up his sickened stomach contents as he wasn't aware of the survivors. They remained still, Bill beginning to lower the barrel of his rifle to aim up with the infected's head, though soon enough the poor soul shambled back out into the road, moaning and crying from his bodily torture like all the others. "All right, let's keep going." Bill whispered as they reached the top floor soon enough, a padlocked metal door blocked the way onto the ceiling. Francis cursed, "I hate locks." He said under his breath as Bill nodded, before raising the butt of his gun to smash it against the lock, no luck. Bill hissed, looking at the other three, "Zoey, shoot the lock off." Bill suggested, Zoey looked shocked, they rarely fired their weapons without reason as it usually attracted undesired attention. "We don't have any other choice, it's this way or through the street, and they're all over the street. At least this way they may not hear us." Bill explained, before Zoey nodded and came up, pulling one of her pistols from her belt loop and aiming it at the lock, not quite sure where to shoot it exactly and beginning to show signs of confusion before Bill rest his hands on hers, "I'll do it." Bill said as he borrowed the gun from Zoey, clenching his teeth in prayer that they wouldn't be heard before a shot rang out and the fractured padlock swung against the door, damaged but still on by a hair. Bill slammed the hilt of the pistol against the lock and it fell free, bouncing down the stairs before falling through the railing, the silence between this point and when the lock hit the ground below it seemed all were holding their breath. Clonk, it the metal padlock landed in the foyer and it didn't seem like any infected were any the wiser.

"Come on." Bill whispered as they stepped out onto the roof of the ten story tall apartment building, looking out over Rayford. Bill handed Zoey back her pistol, where she held and looked at it a moment before sighing, and following with the rest. Louis came to her side, "Hey don't sweat it, we ain't all had some fancy smancy army blow-locks-off-doors training." He said and gave another friendly pat on the back, Zoey nodded and forced another smile as Bill surveyed Rayford. "There." He pointed out, the river they would inevitably had to cross glistened in the increasing sunlight as the shadow of a large bridge was seen over it. The only question now was how they would reach it. Bill walked around, as did Francis, and then Louis. Eventually everyone was looking over at destroyed Rayford, the sound of the infected's cries in the distance resonating out from the city below them.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Down the fire escape, into the alley, we'll take the side road alongside the river towards the bridge. This is, of course, granted that it isn't swarmed with those things." Bill instructed, the others listened in, and nodded as they broke their huddled planning and started walking towards the fire escape that went down the back side of the apartment. Bill lead the way, testing the sturdiness, it seemed fine. They quietly made their way down, looking about at scattered pockets of the infected that resided in various distances, though about halfway down everything seemed clear for the most part. Bill hopped down, followed by Francis, then came Louis and Zoey. No infected in sight, at least for five hundred feet till their vision was obscured by another fallen pile of vehicles and rubble. They started down the side street that would lead them towards river side, taking the sidewalk as the sun continued to rise and actually began to pierce a few clouds. The group took this as a good omen, though they dared not speak, not when the slightest noise could echo off the buildings and send the whole city into an uproar.

They came up to the pile of rubble in the middle of the street, is was formed from the wall of a nearby building falling completely out in a fire and landing on multiple vehicles, so they had a bunch of rubble, concrete, and metal to climb over if they hoped to continue along down their quiet path. Bill crept up, getting his footing as he peered over, then back down to the others awaiting his scouting results. "No good." He said with a grim tone, the others crawled up and looked over, spotting several dozen infected lounging in the middle of the road. "Shit." Louis exclaimed, having gotten his hopes up, and Zoey as always just began to look despondent. "I hate my life." Francis cursed as he started to climb back down, shotgun in his right hand as the barrel struck a rock out from under a larger piece of rubble, causing a chain reaction of falling debris that resulted in a toppled car falling over the robble onto its roof. The air stilled, everyone's eyes were wide and fearful and everything was tight. The noise of grinding metal and falling concrete was horrendous, but that wasn't the worst part as soon the car began to beep insistently, it's burglar alarm haplessly still in tact as it began to bark into the air. The infected took notice, getting up and running towards the source of their disturbance.

The four slid down, backs against the rubble that had remained upright as they each held their weapon to their chest, which was heaving heavily for all of them. Bill's cigarette fell from his mouth, and rolled under the rubble as he stared straight forwards, listening to the horde as did the others in their fear. Zoey closed her eyes, bit her lower lip as she held both of her pistols tightly, head pointed down into her lap as she whimpered quietly. Louis was in a cold sweat, looking from left to right at the rest of the group, looking for more optimism than he had himself for a more hopeful prediction. He found none, as Bill was as cold as death in his look, which was weary. Francis, even beyond his angry expression, had a hint of the end in his eyes. The infected hadn't noticed them yet, they had begun ravaging the car with their fists and kicks, infuriated by the alarm until it finally ceased. There was nothing now for a moment, the sound of their heartbeats in their chest and the groaning of the infected as they dragged about, just a dozen feet from them on the other side of the concrete pile. The footsteps and groans were getting closer, the putrid, rabid humans once again aimlessly walking about. Bill's heart stopped, he heard several infected beginning to step up the pile, he didn't know if it was curiosity or just their enigmatic paths that lead them closer. His finger rested on the trigger of his rifle, he looked to his side to Francis, the old man's dusky blue eyes creased with a plan. Francis back, studying and trying to figure out what it seemed Bill was trying to tell him wordlessly.

Soon Francis got the message, and moved his hand to tap Louis on the shoulder to get his attention and motioned with his head to just follow soon. Louis nodded and tapped Zoey, he was buried in her knees as she looked up, wiping her eyes with the wrist of her dirtied jacket and nodding as well. Bill crouched up silently, hunkered over as he started to move to a nearby alleyway that was just a dozen or so feet from where they were, but with the infected right behind their necks it was the only path available to them. Francis began following behind and then Louis and Zoey, stepping from the pile as the infected began to act oddly, as if they were onto something moving just ahead of them. Everyone was biting their tongue and holding their breath, the air was hot and terrified despite the cool air breathing in from the river. Just as Zoey was stepping down, a piece of rubble she was using for footing slipped out from the pile causing her to slip, toppling down onto her side as her pistols fell from her hands, bouncing across the pavement. This was all it took to send the infected back into their frenzy. The other three looked at Zoey in horror, and then up at the rubble as several infected came jumping over it, looking right at them as Zoey, still on the ground, put up her hands in terror as one was falling right towards her with a macabre grin, his entire lower jaw missing and bile and pus dribbled from it. Then came the sound of gunfire once more, Zoey was washed in a rain of blood and necrotic chunks as Francis unloaded his shotgun on the infected aiming for Zoey at the last moment and at close range, ripping them tortured soul in half with the force of the shot. The sound deafened Zoey for a moment, her skin was slick with entrails as she looked about in a desperate panic. As if distant came the sound of shouting and screaming, she was on her knees crawling for her pistols as she felt something wrap around her waist, then suddenly being pulled backwards as one of the infected who had underwent a more serious mutation had developed an absurdly long and prehensile tongue, which was now wrapped around Zoey and tugging her backwards towards the pile of rubble. Everything was silent to her, still recovering from the loud gunshot that rang in her ears as she tugged at the coil around her waist. There was distant gunfire, and the sound of Louis shouting her name, and more gunfire, and more screaming from the infected. She felt herself being pulled away, and deafened and defenseless as she was, seeing more and more infected pour over the pile, obscuring the sight of her friends who were quickly being lost in a sea of bodies and bullets, Zoey closed her eyes, and quit struggling. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Zoey had stopped her struggles, being pulled into the crowd of infected by that grotesquely long tongue who's master willed her towards her end. Just as she could feel the surrounding infected begin to run in towards her, even in the middle of her being dragged away, her hearing seemed to recover from the gunfire just in time for her to hear a familiar voice calling out. Suddenly she felt herself no longer raked over the hard rubble floor, and she opened her frightened eyes and stared straight up to see Bill holding the severed tongue of the infected that had threatened to drag her to death. "Get up girl!" Bill shouted out demandingly, before swinging the butt of his rifle out to cave in the skull of an approaching infected, a hard crunch signaling its release from this life as it toppled over Zoey's left leg. Gunfire... Louis and Francis had joined back in the fray, the three of them standing over Zoey as she got to her feet just as Francis pushed one of her lost pistols into her hands before shredding a pocket of infected with a spray from his shotgun. Zoey looked around, the infected were beginning to thin but there were bodies everywhere now, and everyone was covered in the decayed blood of the mad. Zoey finally collected herself, her heart feeling like it was about to beat from her chest when she opened fire into the swarm, a few infected toppling over. Soon everything was quiet once more, the scent of gunpowder filled everyone's nostrils nearly as strong as the smell of seared flesh and blood.

Bill turned to the others, his olive jacket was a mess, and he was covered beret to boot in blood. He looked at Zoey with that cold blue gaze that he always gave everyone, it meant you screwed up, and Zoey knew that all ready. She turned away, Francis looked to her before turning back to Bill, "The road's clear now." He joked, but he was right, there was nothing but corpses to walk over now for a while. Bill nodded, then pointed down the sidewalk, "There's a gun shop, I doubt we have much ammunition left after that." The survivors made their way over to a boarded and locked gun store, a flickering half lit sign hanging over head with a picture of two rifles crossed. Bad surprises were nothing new, and there was no way they were getting in through this entrance, the owner or whoever did a very good job of barricading it. They continued on with what little ammunition they had left.

Soon the sun was at the top of the sky, but it was obscured by oppressing storm clouds that had begun to roll in. The group finally came to the river side, and just a mile ahead was the bridge. They made their way, steps slowed and exhaustion high as it seemed only Bill kept an eye out for the infected while everyone else, breathing heavily, just followed behind like ducklings. Before they knew it, Bill stopped, and they looked up from their tired gaze at the ground before them, they were at the bridge. A glimmer of hope appeared in all of their faces before it was shattered by Bill's next words, "The bridge is lifted." He was right, they would need to use a control panel to operate it and lower it back down. The group was now in a crossroads, buildings and roads in every direction, though luckily no infected were sighted for the time being so they would be able to find a solution in relative peace.

Francis noted a ladder that went up on a catwalk connected to the bridge, climbing up it while the others stayed nearby to look in similar spots around the bridge, he called out, "I found the control levers!" Came the hard tone of the biker. The others came out, and looked up, "Well?" Said Louis while Francis was fiddling with the levers and turning knobs. Eventually Francis slammed his fist into the panel and flushed out a curse at the sky, turning back to the others, "It's dead." Everyone but Bill's morale dropped just in time for Bill to inspect things further, "Look." Said Bill, pointing out a power cable running to the bridge from behind a fence. Francis climbed down and they went to investigate.  
To their delight, a portable generator was where the cable lead. Instantly Bill tried to activate it, but it only choked from a lack of fuel as he looked around. "It needs fuel." The walls of challenge grew higher and higher for the survivors who had all ready come through so much. Louis tried to break the tension, "All right, no prob', let's just get some fuel and we'll be good to go." He said it so cheerily and optimistically Zoey could help but feel a little better. Bill nodded, and Francis agreed, and off they went to search the surrounding area for anything that could be used to fuel the generator.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Though it would have been faster for them to find any source of fuel had they split up, they couldn't risk it in such an environment. Even groups of two drastically reduced their chances for survival should things go badly, so they searched together. Bill leading the way as usual, they searched an old warehouse that was a couple dozen feet away from the generator. Luckily enough, just as Louis exclaimed, "Ah! Here we go!" Two canisters of fuel were sitting off to the corner, he only hoped that they were the right kind. Bill and the others looked over to Louis, both because he had potentially found something, and because he had been rather loud in his exclamation. Louis went over and hefted the two canisters up, frowning, "They've barely got anything in them! Hardly a couple drops each! It'll take a bunch more than this if we plan on fueling up that generator at this rate." They nodded, and started to head back to the generator when Bill halted them at the entrance, looking about suspiciously. When he did so, the others always kept quiet, because it usually meant he had heard something worth being quiet about. "Hm." Bill huffed, and then continued forwards.

They placed the two tanks next to the generator and began to search for more. Creeping back into the warehouse, hoping to find even more tanks they approached a door leading out into a back alley, Bill waved for them to stop for a moment. They did and he crept forwards, gently putting his ear to the door as his eyes widened, though he remained silent and looked to the others with urgency. He motioned for them to start making their way back, and the look on his face worried all of them as they did so. Soon the sound of heavy breathing, like an animal's huffing could be heard in increasing volume. Right behind the door they were scurrying away from soon came a horrendous howl filled with a resonating anger. "Go!" Bill suddenly commanded, and they all broke into a confused sprint. In the distance came the cry of the infected, and the distant clamor of their frenzy approaching. "Shit! Shit!" Bill cursed as the door in the warehouse soon flew off its hinges in a terrible sound of metal scraping against concrete, and in came lumbering a true leviathan of the infected. This infected had mutated into a hulking beast, head nearly sunk into an engorging figure of rampant muscle growth. It resembled a giant, pink gorilla in the way it moved, using its giant disfigured forearms to carry it forwards, it's lower body not having suffered as much mutation and causing a large disproportion in its body. It huffed and scowled, stampeding after the fleeing survivors as they exited the warehouse. They looked to their left, down the road with frightened eyes to see a horde of infected turning the corner in their direction, and behind them ever closer was the beast.

"What do we do?!" Called out Francis, and Bill as ever was looking around for a solution. Zoey's head began to sting with fearful anticipation, and a body weakened by exhaustion. The ladder up the bridge was all that seemed to have the potential to put them in a position of advantage. They begun to run towards it when another wave broke around the corner of the warehouse, cutting them away from the bridge. "Shit!" Bill cursed out, they were now viced, behind them was a horde, in front of them was a horde, and closing in was the thunderous monstrosity. They didn't have the time to stop and think, and soon Bill took their fleeing in the direction of an adjacent warehouse that looked over the generator. They ran in, and soon came to a fork, one door leading out the back of the warehouse and around back towards the bridge, and another that lead into an alleyway and back out front. They looped around to the door that went out back into another street, the horde now having merged into one giant force of death whilst in its midst was the rampaging titan, recklessly moving over the bodies of smaller infected in sickening crunches.

They were drawing further and further away from the bridge, and for the moment they were out of sight of the infected, but they were drawing in closer and closer. Bill's eyes darted from side to side, his mind racing and steaming with plan as he soon came to a decision, "Follow Francis!" He commanded, and then looked to Francis, "Get up the ladder and onto the bridge!" Francis looked confused, as did the others, but there was no time to contemplate as Francis nodded and started heading towards the bridge. Louis following behind, Zoey staggered a little and looked at Bill with a terrified expression, "What are you going to do?!" Bill was all ready running the other way down the street and back towards the crossing of the roads that stood in front of the bridge, Louis grabbed Zoey's shoulder and dragged her back towards the direction they were supposed to be running. "Come on!" Cried Louis, Zoey's eyes behind her the whole while as Bill stopped at the end of the street. Just as Francis, Louis, and Zoey went back around towards the river side street that was fifty feet to the bridge, the horde came spewing forth out after them.

There came the sound of a gunshot, Bill had fired his rifle into the crowd and absolutely having drawn their attention in his direction. In their frothing rage they took over towards Bill, who ran back off towards the crossroads. Francis, Zoey, and Louis made it to the ladder and began climbing. Though just as Louis was halfway up the ladder he felt something wrap around his ankle, another of the mutated infected having not been with the group and had been stalking them. Louis cried out as he was pulled from the ladder and landed on the hard ground, landing on his hip as he bit his lip in agony. A loud shot rang out as Francis perforated the infected with his shotgun from atop the bridge, the dead mutation falling to the ground now in a burst of putrid smoke. Grudgingly, Louis started climbing back up the ladder with a considerable expression of pain, his thigh having gotten lacerated from the fall and was now bleeding moderately.

The three were now overlooking the crossing just in time to see Bill run back out into view, heading towards the bridge as Zoey's eyes brightened with relief before dissolving back into terror. Behind Bill came countless infected running after the old man, who never-the-less seemed determined in his stride. "Bill!" Zoey cried out hopelessly, as then came Louis' voice, "Hey, look at this!" He pried a cylindrical object from the hands of a corpse he had laid down next to on the bridge, it had a familiar design that they had seen before. It was a home crafted pipe bomb that had become very common amongst those who survived the initial infection for its simple design. Francis grabbed it from Louis' hands and ripped it's ignition plug to start it, and then flicked on the sound emitting device that seemed to draw the infected's attention with tremendous effectiveness. Bill saw the spark in Francis' hands just as Francis threw the device out into the air, the infected's attention in bulk being drawn towards the pipe bomb as it landed in their midst, and rolled under an abandoned pick up truck sitting in the middle of the intersection. They cried, spit, and cursed in their incoherent screams as they desperately clawed for the pipe bomb only moments before the device exploded. An initial blast flaring out from under the truck slivers of a second before a larger one deafened the air, the truck's fuel tank having been caught in the blast and caused a giant firestorm to engulf the horde who were flung in gibs in all directions. Those that had merely combusted in the blaze were still running after Bill, the rest were a dark splatter against the road that was now painted in their refuse.

All of them fired on the remaining infected, clearing them out as everything returned to a stoic silence that came with the absence of the infected's tantrum. Louis was in generally good spirits now, despite the throbbing pain that shot through his leg. Bill was breathing heavily, too exhausted for words as Zoey came back down the ladder to express her gratitude for Bill's safety. She had a plump smile on her face and mist in her round eyes as she began to run over to Bill to assist him when Francis cried out, "LOOK OUT!" Zoey was too preoccupied in her bliss, but Bill's gaze shot back up just in time as he he seemingly ran towards Zoey, her smile widening ever larger before she noticed the look on his face. "What's wro-" Zoey started before Bill slammed into her, knocking her away and onto her backside just as the hulking infected that had gone forgotten for the moment bludgeoned the old war veteran several dozen feet away in the direction of the generator. Bill slammed into the mobile power supply with a groan, the sound of gunfire wringing out as Louis and Francis opened up on the infected giant. Zoey's eyes widened with primal terror as she climbed to her feet quickly, only mere feet from the beast as it started to barrel towards her. Its hide was glistening with its own sweat and blood, numerous bullet wounds starting to form in its thick skin, tearing at the layers upon layers of musculature. Soon came the sound of damning clicks, both Louis and Francis' weapons having ran out of ammunition as they took on expressions of despair. The brute closed in on Zoey, raised its tremendous fists in the air just as another gunshot rang out, several bullets splitting into its back and spine as it howled out in pain and anger. It turned, looking for its assailant as Bill was seen scooching his broken body away with one hand, and firing his rifle with the other. Zoey, in her terror hurried up the ladder and turned to watch in horror with the other two who were calling out Bill's name, shouting at the monster and throwing what they could to try and draw it away. Bill took a drag on the cigarette that miraculously remained in his mouth this whole time, he was about backed up into the warehouse that overlooked the mobile generator when the tank came thundering up to him, Bill opened up on him with a few more bursts before he was slammed against a piece of heavy machinery. The grizzled veteran's side split open from the impact, a smear of blood splashing across the ground as he coughed. All ready Francis and Zoey had jumped back down the ladder and were rushing to the warehouse, the beast rose its giant hammers to the sky as Bill took another drag on his cigarette and summoned his remaining strength to force the barrel of his rifle into the abomination's face, tightening every muscle in his arms that he could muster to hold it steady as he fired the remainder of the clip into the beast's skull.

Down came the dead monster's hulking form, crashing against Bill's all ready sundered body as he groaned out once more in pain. Francis and Zoey came, Francis stressfully pulling the now limp corpse of disease from Bill's body. Zoey knelt down, worry running her face red as she tried to pull one of Bill's arms around her shoulder to help him up when he stopped her, coughing once more. "No." Said Bill weakly, Francis looking him over and seeing the blood flowing from his side and nose. "Don't be stupid, you're getting up." Said Francis as he knelt over to try and pick Bill up, but was subsequently pushed back by the butt of Bill's rifle, "No!" He hurled a copious amount of dark blood onto his crushed lap. Zoey's face was wet with tears, "Bill... come on!" She pleaded, but he just took another drag of his cigarette, still holding his M16 tightly to his chest. "Please! It's not that bad I promise!" Zoey lied, and Bill chuckled hoarsely, "Girl... I know my body... and this is where it finally stops being so damn stubborn." Another injured cough, Zoey buried her face in Bill's shoulder as she wept loudly, "Bill! Please!" She cried out though muffled by Bill's tattered clothing. Francis looked away, his brow curled in angrier than ever though there was still a forming glisten in his eyes. Zoey brought her head back up, her eyes were gushing with tears and her nose dribbled, she was babbling as she apologized, "I'm so sorry..." She repeated multiple times, and Bill just turned his head slowly in her direction, smiling behind his dirtied beard, "Buck up soldier." He said calmly, his breathing starting to slow as he then rolled his head to Francis who was a little red in the face as well at this point. Francis nodded silently and moved to pull Zoey away, who quickly broke away from him and crawled back to embrace Bill's broken body once more, "No! He's coming! Just give him a second!" She screamed at Francis, but he came in once more to pull her to her feet and she fell to pieces. Francis sighed as Zoey buried her face in his chest now, wetting it with her melancholy as he looked over her head to Bill, he was looking at the two with a prideful smile, before his eyes closed gently and Bill's life ended with a soft exhale. "Thank you." Francis whispered out, silenced by the noise of Zoey's sobbing as he lead her back to the bridge where Louis waited, having tended to his own leg with a first aid kit he carried by now.

"Where's Bill?" Louis asked, then took the hint from Zoey's heavy tears and Francis' heavy silence. Louis looked down and over to his river, biting his lip and a few tears forming in his eyes as well. At least for now, things were calm, and the group mourned quietly for about an hour before a strange sound roared over the horizon, the sound of a car engine.


End file.
